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Saturday, October 26, 2013

SWAT RAIDS INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS HOME...http://endthelie.com/2013/10/25/swat-team-raids-investigative-journalists-home-confiscates-confidential-dhs-files/
An investigative journalist says federal agents raided her home
earlier this year and confiscated the notes she used to report on a
government cover-up. Now she fears her sources have been compromised.
Audrey Hudson told The Daily Caller that the files were taken during a
SWAT raid of her Shady Side, Maryland home this past August conducted
as part of an investigation into her husband, Paul Flanagan. Authorities
were following up on a lead that Flanagan unlawfully possessed a number
of firearms, and reportedly pilfered his wife’s personal documents
during an armed raid of the couples’ home.
According to the Daily Caller’s Alex Pappas, authorities had reason
to believe that Flanagan was amassing a gun collection despite being
legally barred from owning firearms due to a previous conviction. The
Daily Caller obtained a search warrant showing that law enforcement was
given the go-ahead to conduct a raid because Flanagan had been found
guilty of resisting arrest in 1986 and thus prohibited from owning
weapons. Authorities believed he had broken that restriction.
“One party that was interviewed remembered distinctly about
Flanagan advising he had recently purchased a Bersa .380 handgun, and
observed pictures of firearms similar to AK-47 semi-automatic rifles
which were identified by Flanagan as being his,” court documents obtained by Pappas say.
Maryland State Police and the Department of Homeland Security both
participated in the raid because Flanagan is employed by the Coast
Guard, which is considered a division of DHS. If the raid was indeed
over Flanagan’s alleged gun collection, though, then why was his wife’s
papers taken by law enforcement? Hudson believes that the federal agents
who entered her home knew she had worked with federal whistleblowers
and wanted her sources.
Hudson is currently a freelance writer, but has reported previously for Newsmax, the Colorado Observer and The Washington Times.
“After the search began, Hudson said she was asked by an
investigator with the Coast Guard Investigative Service if she was the
same Audrey Hudson who had written a series of critical stories about
air marshals for The Washington Times over the last decade,” Pappas reported.
Hudson told the Daily Caller that during the raid, authorities confiscated file which included notes that “were
used to expose how the Federal Air Marshal Service had lied to Congress
about the number of airline flights there were actually protecting against another terrorist attack.”
It took an entire month after the raid for Hudson to learn that the
files had been taken by authorities. Miguel Bosch, a former air
marshal-turned-special agent for the Coast Guard Investigative Service,
called Hudson in September and told her that officials had her
documents: handwritten and typed notes stemming from a series of
interviews with confidential sources she had conducted, as well as other
files.
“During the course of the search, the CGIS agent discovered
government documents labeled FOUO – For Official Use Only (FOUO) – and
LES – Law Enforcement Sensitive. The files that contained these
documents were cataloged on the search warrant inventory and taken from
the premises,” a representative for the Coast Guard told the Daily Caller. “The documents were reviewed with the source agency and determined to be obtained properly through the Freedom of Information Act.”
The documents were returned to Hudson, but she says she doesn’t buy
into their explanation. She says their response only explains one of the
five files taken during the raid, “but does not explain why they
took four other files with my handwritten and typed interview notes with
confidential sources, that I staked my reputation as a journalist to protect under the auspices of the First Amendment of the Constitution.”
“This guy basically came in here and took my anonymous sources and
turned them over — took my whistleblowers — and turned it over to the
agency they were blowing the whistle on,” Hudson told The Daily Caller. “And these guys still work there.”
“Part of the reason I’m coming forward with this is I’m scared to contact them,” she said. “I’m terrified to contact them…I’ve got to let these guys know somehow.”
A spokesperson for the Maryland State Police told Pappas that an
investigation is currently under review regarding Hudson’s husband.

What a Surprise: US-Based Iran “Experts” Promoting Israeli PolicyFlynt Leverett, Hillary Mann Leverett, Going to Tehran, Oct 24 2013
As the new round of nuclear diplomacy between the Islamic Republic
and the P5+1 unfolds, an informal coalition of forces is coalescing in
the West to oppose any prospective deal in which the United States would
“accept” safeguarded uranium enrichment in Iran. Of course, Israel and
the pro-Israel lobby are at the heart of this coalition. Netanyahu’s
remarks about the Iran nuclear talks on NBC Meet the Press this past
Sunday, see here, are emblematic of the “zero enrichment” camp:

The question is not of hope; the question is of actual
result. The test is the result. The result has to be the full
dismantling of Iran’s military nuclear program. If that is achieved,
that would be very good. If it’s achieved peacefully, it’s even better …
I think the pressure has to be maintained on Iran, even increased on
Iran, until it actually stops the nuclear program, that is, dismantles
it. I think that any partial deal could end up in dissolving the
sanctions. There are a lot of countries waiting for a signal, just
waiting for a signal, to get rid of their sanctions regime. And I think
that you don’t want to go through halfway measures … As far as the
freezing of assets, as far as I remember, those assets were frozen for
three reasons: one, Iran’s terrorist actions; two, its aggressive
actions, particularly in the Gulf; and three, its continued refusal to
stop the production of WMDs. You know, if you get all three done, and
they stop doing it, well, then I suppose you could unfreeze them … Those
sanctions weren’t Israeli sanctions. I’ve always advocated them, but
the international community adopted very firm UNSCRs, and here’s what
those UNSCRs say: they said Iran should basically dismantle its
centrifuges for enrichment (that’s one path to get a nuclear weapon) and
stop work on its plutonium heavy-water reactor (that’s the other path
for a nuclear weapon). It’s very important to stress that it’s for
nuclear weapons. Nobody challenges Iran’s or any country’s pursuit of
civilian nuclear energy. But seventeen countries in the world, including
your neighbors Canada and Mexico, have very robust programs for
civilian nuclear energy, and they don’t enrich with centrifuges, and
they don’t have heavy water plutonium reactors. Here comes Iran and
says, ‘I want civilian nuclear energy.’ I don’t know why, because they
have energy, with gas and oil, coming out of their ears for generations.
But suppose you believe them. Then you ask, ‘Why do you insist on
maintaining a plutonium heavy water reactor, and on maintaining
centrifuges that can only be used for making nuclear weapons?’ And the
answer is because they want to have residual capability to make nuclear
weapons. And you don’t want that, and UNSCRs don’t want that. And I
propose sticking by that.

Anyone who has been following the Iranian nuclear issue with any
measure of objectivity will note that Netanyahu mixes up US secondary
sanctions with UNSCRs. Likewise, he misrepresents what the relevant
UNSCRs actually say about Iran’s nuclear activities, and misstates basic
facts about fuel-cycle technology. Never mind all that. Notwithstanding
his myriad factual errors, Netanyahu gives authoritative voice to the
main rhetorical tropes of the “zero enrichment” camp: Iran has to
dismantle its current infrastructure for uranium enrichment, and stop
work on the heavy-water reactor currently under construction at Arak.
Moreover, even if Iran does these things, this is not enough to warrant a
lifting of sanctions. The Islamic Republic must also terminate its
relations with democratically validated resistance/ religious/ social
service/ political movements like Hizballah in Lebanon, and stop
suggesting that disenfranchised Shi’a populations in countries like
Bahrain actually have political rights. In the wake of Netanyahu’s Meet
the Press appearance, we were struck by the similarity between his
positions and those espoused in a WaPo op-ed earlier this week titled “The World Must Tell Iran: No More Half Steps”:

Despite its softened rhetoric, the new Iranian regime can
be expected to continue asserting its nuclear ‘rights’ and to press its
advantages in a contested Middle East. The Islamic Republic plans to
remain an important backer of the Assad dynasty in Syria, a benefactor
of Hezbollah and a supporter of Palestinian rejectionist groups. It will
persist in its repressive tactics at home and continue to deny the
people of Iran fundamental human rights. This is a government that will
seek to negotiate a settlement of the nuclear issue by testing the
limits of the great powers’ prohibitions. Washington need not accede to
such Iranian conceptions. The US and its allies are entering this week’s
negotiations in a strong position. Iran’s economy is withering
under the combined pressures of sanctions and its own managerial
incompetence. The Iranian populace remains disaffected as the bonds
between state and society have been largely severed since the Green
Revolution of 2009. The EU is still highly skeptical of Iran, a distrust
that Rouhani’s charm offensive has mitigated but not eliminated. Allied
diplomats can use as leverage in the forthcoming negotiations the
threat of additional sanctions and Israeli military force. Given the
stark realities, it is time for the great powers to have a maximalist
approach to diplomacy with Iran. It is too late for more Iranian
half-steps and half-measures. Tehran must account for all its illicit
nuclear activities and be compelled to make irreversible concessions
that permanently degrade its ability to reconstitute its nuclear weapons
program at a more convenient time. Anything less would be a lost
opportunity.

Who is the author of this Op Ed? An AIPAC spokesperson? One of the
many neocon firebrands to whom the WaPo long ago turned over its op-ed
page? No and no. The author of the remarkably Netanyahu-like Op Ed cited
above is Ray Takeyh, the mainstream media’s long-time “go-to” (if also
perennially mistaken) Iran “expert” who advised Dennis Ross’s
destructively incompetent handling of the Iran nuclear file during
President Obama’s first term and is now back at the CFR. We have no
reason to believe that Ray is coordinating his public positions with the
Israeli government. But it is remarkable how congruent his views are
with those of the most hegemonically-minded Israeli prime minister in
living memory.

AQI detainee accused of coercing children to carry out attacksAl-Shorfa (Iraq), Oct 25 2013Iraqi security forces in Anbar have arrested a prominent AQI leader
accused of involvement in violent attacks in the past four years, police
in the province said Friday Oct 25. Anbar police chief Maj-Gen Hadi
Kassar Erzaij told al-Shorfa:

A counter-terrorism agency force managed to arrest
Abd’al-Issawi, a prominent AQI leader, as he tried to cross a checkpoint
south of Fallujah. Issawi was carrying a false ID and was posing as a
humanitarian worker, but he is far from humanitarianism because of the
crimes he has committed.

Al-Issawi is accused of using car bombs and IEDs to carry out
attacks, of strapping explosives to a mentally ill person and of
recruiting three children to carry explosives on a motorbike from the
southern suburbs of Fallujah to the town centre, he said. Security
forces took al-Issawi to a security detention facility pending his
referral to court in accordance with article 4 of the anti-terrorism
law, Erzaij said.

AQ’s corridor through SyriaVijay Prashad, The Hindu, Oct 25 2013Vijay Prashad, Counterpunch, Oct 25 2013
On Tuesday night, suicide bombers and gunmen attacked Iraqi
checkpoints along Highway 11, which runs from Baghdad to Syria via
Ramadi. They bombed the checkpoint at Rutba as well as points just west
of Ramadi. Thirty-seven people were killed in these attacks, a majority
of them security officers. Highway 11 is Iraq’s southern route into
Syria. The other road from Baghdad to Syria is Highway 12, which runs
from Ramadi northwards to the towns of Anan and Rawah, along the
Euphrates River and into the Syrian city of Raqqa. Last week, gunmen of
the ISIS/ISIL attacked the towns of Anan and Rawah, destroying a bridge
and trying to destroy the electricity transmission towers. The Iraqi
army was able to deter the ISIS attack on Rawah, and so held off ISIS’s
attempt to take the towns that would give it effective control of
Highway 12. Iraq’s Deputy PM Saleh al-Mutlaq said that last week’s
attack was a “hopeless attempt by al Qaeda [ISIS] to establish a
foothold in Iraq.” It seems likely that ISIS decided to try and take
Highway 11 after its attack on Highway 12 was repulsed. Over the past
month, ISIS has made remarkable gains. Its operation, named Expunging
Filth, has either expelled or absorbed the FSA units along the spine of
northern Syria. The Syrian-Turkish border town of A’zaz has been in ISIS
hands for a month. Since April, ISIS began to draw in all the smaller
Salafi factions, including Jabhat al-Nusra (not always without rivalry)
and parts of Ahrar as-Sham (whose commander, Abu Obeida al-Binnishi,
ISIS killed in September). A new report from the International Crisis Group from Oct 17
notes that ISIS is now “the most powerful group in northern and eastern
Syria and was benefiting from control of oil fields.” Analyst Aymenn
Jawad al-Tamimi says that ISIS cannot be shaken from its strongholds in
the north and east by any combination of FSA and its allies. Indeed,
over the past few months, ISIS has severely degraded the capacity of the
FSA, having killed one of its important battalion chiefs Kamal Hamami
in July and having drawn in many of its local level fighters. The Free
Syrian Army is no longer a serious threat to the Syrian government. The
main secular voice of this uprising in Syria, Yassin al Haj Saleh, who
was underground in Syria during the civil war, fled the country on Oct
12. In an open letter, Farewell to Syria, for a while,
he wrote that the city of his birth, Raqqa, had been taken over by “the
spectres of horror of our childhood, the ghouls.” He writes:

I had to keep in hiding in my own liberated city,
watching strangers oppress it and rule the fates of its people,
confiscating public property, destroying a statue of Haroun al-Rashid
or desecrating a church; taking people into custody where they
disappeared in their prisons. All the prisoners were rebel political
activists while none of them was chosen from the regime’s previous
loyalists or shabiha. With the exception of this flagrant oppression of
the people, their property and symbols, the new rulers have shown no
sign of the spirit of public responsibility which is supposed to be the
duty of those who are in power.

Saleh’s departure indicates that things are worse there than they
were this summer when researcher Yasser Munif travelled in the north and
found that in Raqqa “people are more and more critical of ISIS and
Nusra.” It appears that the space for that internal criticism of ISIS is
now narrower. Billboards promoting the views of ISIS are legion across
Raqqa, with intimations that the rivalry between the various Islamist
factions is at mute. As el-Tamimi notes, in public rallies flags of both
ISIS and Nusra fly side by side. In Jul 2013, ISIS led a mass
jailbreak from Iraq’s Abu Ghraib to free 500 prisoners. The group used
an array of car bombs, suicide bombers and gunmen in that operation.
ISIS directed these fighters toward the Iraqi-Syria border, where they
hope to take control of the crossing points as part of their attempt to
form a corridor that runs from Ramadi to Tripoli in northern Lebanon. A
clash in the city killed a 13-year-old boy on Oct 23. The attacks of the
night of Oct 22 are part of this scenario. ISIS and its form of
radicalism are a product of Saudi Arabian and Qatari financing of the
rebellion. Money from the Gulf Arabs alongside foreign fighters and a
motivated group of Syrian fighters have given ISIS the advantage. At the
same time, as Saudi and Qatari money has allowed its proxies to have
the upper hand against other rebels on the battlefield, Saudi and Qatari
influence has prevented unity and an agenda to develop among the
political leadership of the rebellion. Over three years, the SNC has
been unable to draft a clear programme for Syria. Its absence is not a
sign of lack of imagination, but of the subordination of the SNC to the
petty fights among its Gulf Arab benefactors. The SNC stumbled when it
essentially allowed a palace coup to remove Mo’az al-Khatib from his
post. After much infighting, the SNC finally appointed Ahmad Saleh Touma
as its prime minister. Ghassan Hitto resigned because he was seen to be
too close to the tarnished star of Qatar. The current president is
Ahmad Jarba, closely linked to the Saudi government. By late September,
the Islamists rejected the SNC. The leader of the Tawhid Brigade from
Aleppo, Abd’ul-Qader Saleh, intimated on Twitter that they would
consider forming an Islamic alliance (al-tahaluf al-islami). Scholar
Aron Lund suggests that the Islamists have not gone beyond this
suggestion. The marks of Gulf Arab infighting are all over the
Coalition.
Despite the gains in northern Syria by ISIS, Saudi Arabia’s agenda
for the country is blocked. In the absence of foreign intervention, ISIS
is not going to be able to overthrow the government in Damascus, which
is one reason why it has moved to seize Syrian border posts with Turkey,
Lebanon and Iraq. A dangerous confrontation is likely in the Western
Ghouta region near Damascus, but this is not going to lead to any major
strategic advance for anyone. It will be a bloodbath with no substantial
gain, as so much of this war has become. Unable to move to the centre,
ISIS claims the margins of Syria. Saudi Arabia expected the US to bomb
Syria in September, weaken the Assad regime and allow its proxies to
seize power. Saudi Arabia is also disappointed that the US has accepted
the Iranian overtures for talks. With no clear road to Damascus, ISIS
has turned more forcefully to nihilistic violence in the regions it
controls, not quite the outcome hoped for by Saudi Arabia. That is the
reason Saudi Arabia’s liaison to the Syrian rebels, Prince Bandar, made
his remarks about reassessing the US-Saudi relationship, and this is why
Saudi Arabia refused to take the UNSC seat it had just won. Saudi
Arabia backed the Taliban in the 1990s thinking the group would moderate
its ideology over time. Nothing like that happened. It seems that the
KSA is willing to make the same wager in Syria, despite the adverse
historical record. Violence such as what broke out on Oct 22 night has
become commonplace in Iraq, with several thousand killed this year,
almost 500 this month alone. The Syrian war, blocked into a tragic
stalemate, has moved into Iraq, a country already battered by war and
devastation in its recent history. Here the “faces that harden behind a
mask of gloom” as Syrian poet Adonis put it, watch civilisations crumble
for the cheap ambitions of geopolitics. The shadow of AQ settles into
Iraq and Syria, hardening the faces of ordinary Syrians and Iraqis
further. The entry of a full-blown ISIS assault in Lebanon cannot be
far, as the fighting in Tripoli and on the border towns suggest. Talk of
ceasefires and negotiations in Geneva is distant from the desolation
that has come to envelop the roads that link Beirut to Baghdad, a
journey that could have been made in some peace a century ago but is now
tormented with guns and frustration.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Bomb for MaradykovskyWahhabis planned to organize an explosion at one of Russia’s largest storage and destruction of chemical weapons. Prosecuted, detained two natives of the North Caucasus, who planned to go to “learn terrorism” in Syria. Victims of a crime could be hundreds of people.In the Kirov region opened a criminal case in connection with the preparation of a terrorist act, reported Tuesday in the Russian Investigative Committee.“The air-cache and taken by them in the non-residential
building have been removed and the circuit components for the
manufacture of explosives”The case was opened against the two natives of the North Caucasus:
19-year and 21-year. They are suspected of committing a crime under Part
1 of Art. 30, paragraph “a” of Part 3. 205 of the Criminal Code
(preparation for a terrorist act).Risk of death of hundreds of people

According to the police, “in the period from September to the
present, the suspects were preparing to commit a terrorist act on the
object storage and destruction of chemical weapons in the village of
Peace Maradykovsky Orichevskogo district of the Kirov region.”According to the investigation, the suspects are active supporters of
Wahhabism and arrived earlier in the Kirov region of Moscow. Terrorist
attack, say in the UK, “could endanger the lives of hundreds of people.”The motives of extremists in the Investigation Committee also called,
but without specifics – “preparing for action in order to influence
decision-making authorities and international organizations.”“As an instrument of crime attackers planned to use IEDs and
components for the manufacture of which were discovered and seized by
investigators in a secret compartment, equipped with one of the
abandoned houses in the city Kotelnich – added in the UK. – In the
course of the search conducted at the residence the suspects were found
and seized items relevant to the investigation, including the literature
of extremist content, as well as passports in the name of the
detainees. “
In addition, it is reported that in respect of one of the defendants
in another criminal case – for the crime under Part 1 of Art. 318 of the
Criminal Code (violence against a representative of authorities). This
is due to the fact that during the arrest he was active resistance to
FSB and thus applied the abuse to the authorities.
At the moment, both suspects were detained. The issue of their arrest. Also ongoing investigations.
“Preventing terrorist act was made possible thanks to the coordinated
work of the joint Russian Federal Security Service staff and
investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Kirov
Region” – added to the IC Russia.In turn, the Kirov portal Newsler.ru
referring to the regional Federal Security Service reported that the
detainees in the terrorist attack after the completion of the crime were
planning to go abroad in one of the camps of international terrorist
organizations, where they were to get skills of sabotage.
“In Kotelnich, very close – about 500 meters – from the object
Maradykovsky, in the air-cache and taken by them in the non-residential
building have been removed and the circuit components for the
manufacture of explosives, a map object diagram HUHO and printed
materials with signs of extremism,” – said the secret service .And, as investigators later added, two detainees Wahhabis planned to go to this “learning Terrorism” in Syria.
“The Age of the detainees – 19 and 21. They had come from Moscow. The
visit was followed by clearance of the passport check out, presumably
to Syria for training terrorist cause, “- said at a press briefing on
Tuesday, the head of the regional department of the Investigative
Committee of Gregory Zhitenev, reports RIA “Novosti” .Later on, having arrived in the region, friends and conceived to
attack on the stock of chemical weapons, “received information on the
significance of the object and the possible resonance,” he said.Young men planned to blow up a bomb in the 10 kg of TNT..
Other attacks and attempts toOf the latter prevented the terrorist attacks in Russia, you can
recall the incident in Bashkiria in the middle of September, when law
enforcement officers cleared the bomb planted under power lines as early
as 2004. According to investigators, Il’nur Akhmetshin, bomb threat,
since 2006 the federal wanted list and was detained in Dagestan, passed
RIA “Novosti”.July 30 National Anti-Terrorist Committee reported that the FSB has
prevented a series of terrorist attacks in Dagestan, where six bombs
were neutralized with a total capacity of 50 kg.On 18 July, in
Kabardino-Balkaria were killed four militants who were planning a series
of terrorist attacks in their country.June 27 bomb was found and defused at a stadium in the capital of Ingushetia, Nazran.May 28 in the Volga Federal District were arrested
members of a terrorist organization “Islamic Liberation Party” (“Hizb
ut-Tahrir al-Islami”), who prepared a series of terrorist attacks in the
Nizhny Novgorod region.Also, we should mention about the arrest in May of this year, the organizers of the preparation of terrorist attacks in Moscow. Militants neutralized in a rented apartment in Orekhovo-.“The members of this gang who commit a series of crimes in the
territory of the republics of the Volga, in 2010, went to
Afghanistan-Pakistan region, where received military training. After
three years abroad bandits secretly returned to Russia, “- noted in the
National Anti-Terrorism Committee of the Russian Federation.FSB officers arrested the organizers and performers, but customers
terrorist attack and remained at large – according to the intelligence
services, they are abroad.Last October, it was reported that the destroyed Kazan during the counter-terrorist operation Ruslan Kashapov and Robert VALEEV prepared explosion in crowded places during the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.A 31 August 2011 to celebrate the Eid al-Adha in Grozny explosions, claimed the lives of eight people. Several other people were wounded.

Syria's civil
war that started in March 2011 continues to attract Western attention.
Although nearly half of the Syrian population does not support US
leadership in the world, the United States has shown a "resolve" to make
this one of our international priorities. For many citizens outside of
the public arena, Syria is an obscure and irrelevant geographic
location. Recent events in the diplomatic field have, however,
catapulted the country to headlines across the United States. I spoke
with four prominent public intellectuals to discuss the context of Syria
within our educational system. This is a roundtable format including
the eminent linguist and social scientist Noam Chomsky from MIT,
Princeton professor emeritus of international law Richard Falk,
professor of Middle East studies and author of the Middle East Reader Lawrence Davidson and Israeli historian and author of The Modern Middle East Ilan Pappé.

FALCONE: In
The New York Times, recent articles covering Syria keep mentioning the
importance of our "resolve." What is meant by American "resolve?"

CHOMSKY:
Alternatively, "credibility." What I've called "the Mafia doctrine" in
many publications: when the Godfather issues an edict, others must obey,
or else. It's too dangerous to allow disobedience. A leading principle
of world affairs - though, of course, officials and commentators put it
more politely.

FALK:
I think "resolve" is a coded way of discussing the willingness to use
force in support of what Obama calls America's "core interests." In this
sense, a lack of resolve would denote a weakness of political will that
would disappoint expectations of the Syrian rebel forces and indirectly
others as well, including Israel. In the end, resolve refers to the
credibility of American global leadership, which is especially subject
to doubt, given the negative outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan - and
given Republican obstructionism in Congress and the so-called war
fatigue of the citizenry.

DAVIDSON:
Within this context, what is meant is a resolve to be the world's
policeman. To right the alleged wrongs of those we regard as our enemies
(we are not similarly concerned with the wrongs of those we designate
our friends) even if we ourselves have carried out similar wrongs.

PAPPÉ:
I think what the NYT means by resolve is a stance that does not change
easily from day to day on the Syrian crisis. If you ask about what
should be the American resolve, then I would say that it cannot be
addressed only with regard to the present crisis in Syria. It needs to
have a wider conceptual and moral infrastructure. Unless this American
administration is willing to diverge from the conventional American
policy in the Middle East by changing its basic attitudes on crucial
questions, foremost of them Palestine, and support genuinely the rights
of people for independence, sovereignty and identity across the board,
the only "resolve" one would hope from the USA is to stay out of the
Middle East for a while.

FALCONE:
Also in conjunction with the articles, there is sort of an insinuation
that Iran's "nuclear threat" is being addressed when we address Syria.
Doesn't our sabre rattling only force Iran to entertain the idea of
advanced weaponry?

CHOMSKY: Definitely. ...

DAVIDSON:
... Absolutely. ... Threatening to attack a principle ally of Iran
(Syria) is not the way to encourage cooperation in terms of armaments.
However, what if the saber rattling is not designed primarily with Iran
in mind, but rather with special interests that want to hear threats to
Iran in exchange for their domestic political support? Then it makes
sense.

FALK:
It would seem to be the case that pressure on Iran to acquire nuclear
weapons is almost totally driven by their need for a deterrent
capability to avoid the fate of Iraq, Libya. The use of American
military force in Syria thus sends exactly the opposite message as
supposedly desired to the leadership in Tehran - and to others. North
Korea has been dealt with diplomatically because it has the bomb and
might use it if provoked.

PAPPÉ:
There was no need for the present charade on Syria to remind the
government in Iran that the American dog is wagged by the Israeli tail
to be more militant in its policy toward Iran. I am not sure to this
very moment that Iran's objective is to obtain "advanced weaponry." The
present rulers in Iran do not want to be seen as giving up the idea of
"advanced weaponry" due to Israeli and American pressure. The myth,
carried out from the end of the Second World War, that only "advanced
weaponry" - or even the horrific events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki - can
produce unimaginable human catastrophes continues to blur our judgment.
The worst crimes against humanity in the last half of the previous
century and this century are carried out with conventional advanced
weapons, upgraded daily by a greedy arms industry, super power's apathy
and criminal ideologies. In the Middle East, Iran lags behind many other
military powers in this respect.

FALCONE:
When President Obama addresses the nation he keeps repeating the phrase,
"the international community." What is meant by the international
community?

FALK:
As Gandhi famously responded when asked about "Western civilization,"
"I wish they had one," the same applies to "international community": "I
wish there was one." Of course, its use is a convenient way of invoking
the collective actions of the world, as through the actions of the
United Nations. The misleading implication, however, is to divert
attention from the weakness of central institutions and procedures as
compared to the strength of leading states. We live in a state-centric
world faced with global-scale problems that cannot be met by the actions
of single states, no matter how powerful, if assessed from the
perspective of military capabilities.

CHOMSKY: The US and whoever goes along with it, often almost no one, as in this case.

DAVIDSON:
This is a bit of verbal sleight of hand. The "international community"
implies the world's nations. In fact what the president is actually
referring to is the US and its allies. And, as we have seen when the
British Parliament backed out of the potential attack on Syria, the
number of those allies is shrinking.

PAPPÉ:
The president probably means those governments which agree with US
policy. We can refer back to the UN charter, which saw the peoples, not
the governments, as providing the basis for an international opinion.
More often than not, there is inconsistency between the two.

FALCONE: I
have noticed a lot of teachers using an article from The Washington Post
that has gone viral: "9 Questions About Syria You Were Too Embarrassed
to Ask" by Max Fisher. The author admits the piece has a limited scope
of information. Do Westerners get a cheapened version of Near East
affairs in our educational system?

FALK:
I think it is less the limited amount of information than the filters
that information about the Middle East must pass through before being
fairly addressed in the mainstream media. In more intellectual and
geopolitical terms, the perceptions of the region are distorted by a
combination of Orientalism and the priorities of the state of Israel,
including the refusal to discuss the relevance of Israel's nuclear
weapons arsenal in the context of addressing Iran on its nuclear
program.

CHOMSKY: Hopelessly. ...

DAVIDSON:
... Most of the time, teachers who talk about the Middle East do not
know the history, culture or present context of the problems they are
discussing. So they go to the media, which quote government or academic
"experts" (who often are no such thing) or journalists who, by virtue of
working for the media, are supposed to know what they are talking
about. In the end they know little or nothing beyond a standard line
that reflects the perceptions of the US government and its
special-interest supporters. That is what the students get. Indeed, that
is what we all get.

PAPPÉ:
While in the American academia the knowledge production on the Middle
East in general and Syria in particular has been considerably
transformed in recent years, the dissemination of these more updated
views fails to reach the conventional educational system. For two main
reasons: Politics can still subdue and censor views that are not
endorsed ideologically, and academics have still not learned how to
write openly, directly and, one should say, courageously about these
issues.

FALCONE:
Can you recommend articles, authors and book titles that can help
teachers break the traditional mold of textbook teaching that tend to
conceptualize the Near East narrative incorrectly?

DAVIDSON: Well, the best textbook on the market is the one I co-authored with Arthur Goldschmidt, the Concise History of the Middle East (Westview
Press). Students and teachers also now have access to web sources that
often give an alternate point of view, such as Al Jazeera English and
Electronic Intifada. One can balance the standard line on events if one
does a bit of searching.

FALK:
The literature on the region is generally not very good. The writing on
individual countries is far better. There are some books edited by the
Iraqi scholar teaching in Canada Tareq Ismael that give good and
balanced overviews of regional issues, and I would suggest Edward Said
for the cultural underpinnings of misperceptions relating to the region.

FALCONE: Another observation in US media is the marriage of the word terrorist with Muslim.
In other words, after last week's shooting at the D.C Naval Yard, news
anchors would say, "We still don't know if the suspected killer is a
terrorist." What kind of impact might this habitual commentary have on
our educational system?

CHOMSKY:
The intended meaning is clear: Demonize Muslims, and deflect attention
from the obvious but unutterable fact that the US has been the leading
terrorist state in the world for many years.

DAVIDSON:
The continual linking of the notions of terrorist and terrorism with
Muslims and the Middle East is, essentially, an act of propaganda that
cannot help but promote "Islamophobia." Shooting down a dozen innocent
people (as happened in Washington, DC, last week) at random is an act of
terrorism, no matter who does it. What possible justification can there
be to restrict the definition to adherents of a particular religion? If
the reply is 9/11, the counter fact is that 99.5 percent of the world's
Muslims were as appalled at that event as everyone else.

PAPPÉ:
Similar demonization of Muslims was done in Norway in the first hours
after the massacre carried out by a white supremacist. The demonization
has been in the US, long before 9/11, as Edward Said's Unveiling Islam
has shown. Films, media, educational system and arts portray Muslims in
a racist and negative way. The more interesting question, for which we
have no time right now, is who is behind these images.

FALK: There is no doubt that this fusion of terrorist and Muslim
feeds virulent forms of Islamophobia, which is also encouraged by such
incidents as the Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi and the Anglican
Church bombing in Pakistan. 9/11 greatly intensified this tendency
toward fusion, but it had also been nurtured by Israeli propaganda that
portrayed their Palestinian and Arab adversaries as "terrorists." In
fact, the US government approach after 9/11 was modeled in many of its
features on Israeli tactics developed during the long occupation of
Palestine.

FALCONE: Have you ever been invited to speak at a high school on the Muslim world? Why might this be so unlikely to happen?

CHOMSKY:
I think you know why it's unlikely. I've occasionally been asked to
talk on Israel-Palestine. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it elicits
hysteria in the community.

DAVIDSON:
I have not been invited into a Muslim high school, but I have been
invited to speak to college classes in the Muslim world. I think this is
simply because I am better-known in college and university circles.
There is no inherent reason why I would be unwelcome at the high school
level.

FALK:
I have been invited a few times over the years, usually at the
initiative of student groups, not the school administration or faculty.
This seems unlikely to happen both because of bias and fear of
controversy.

PAPPÉ: Yes, but mostly because those who invited me did not know who I was.

FALCONE: Do you read the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs? What are your thoughts on the publication?

CHOMSKY: Not trustworthy in my opinion, though I often agree with their conclusions.

DAVIDSON:
Yes, this is a very good source of information. It is one of those
sources that people should use to get an alternative view of what is
going on in the region and what are the consequences of US foreign
policy.

PAPPÉ: Excellent and informative publication.

FALK:
I believe that the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs is a
valuable resource, probably the best offset to the mainstream treatment
of the region. It consistently publishes insightful commentary on
delicate issues of US foreign policy bearing on the Middle East and also
interprets developments in the region in a more illuminating way.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Western PR firms bid for Bahrain contract: The ‘acceptable’ face of repression http://www.al-bab.com/blog/2013/october/western-PR-firms-bid-for-bahrain-contract.htm?#sthash.tEQnyc4z.dpbs
Seven public relations firms – mostly British or American – are vying to win a contract from Bahrain’s repressive government. Western PR companies have often been criticised in the past for taking up lucrative assignments aimed at polishing the kingdom’s tarnished image. In Bahrain itself, they have also been denounced as “PR mercenaries” that charge hefty fees while failing to deliver positive results. Bidders for the latest contract were named last week by the Bahrain Tender Board. They are:

Bahrain’s government has not published details of the contract apart
from saying that it involves PR services for the Economic Development
Board (EDB). Bahrain Watch, the advocacy group that highlighted the bids
in a blog post yesterday,
says the EDB is “a governmental body responsible for attracting
international investment to Bahrain, and re-branding the country as
‘business-friendly’.”
Three of the bidding companies – Bell Pottinger, Hill & Knowlton and Weber Shandwick – have previously done PR work for Bahrain.
Another of the bidders, Consulum, is a newer company set up by
former Bell Pottinger employees based in the Gulf, according to Bahrain
Watch. It has offices in London, Bahrain and Dubai anddescribes itself as
“an international strategic communications consultancy that uses an
in-depth understanding of public, commercial and political drivers to
provide insightful strategic counsel and meet complex communications
challenges”. It claims to deliver “sophisticated communications
programmes that shape awareness, guide opinion and enhance understanding
on a national, regional and international basis”.Citigate Dewe Rogerson is a London-based firm which boasts of
providing “seamless communication consultancy across the world’s
business centres”. It recently advised the British government on PR for
the privatisation of Royal Mail.Portland PR Ltd is part of Portland Communications, a British firm founded by Tim Allan, a former adviser to Tony Blair. Portland’s website says:

“Our Leadership Team has 40 years experience on Fleet
Street and 35 years in Downing Street, as well as experience on The
Hill. They know how Government, the media and business influence each
other. And they know how successful campaigns work – because they have
been there.”

Last year Portland was accused of “improving” the Wikipedia entries for a number of its clients. This included deleting a reference to “Wife Beater” – the popular nickname in Britain forStella Artois lager.Finally, there is a bidder listed as “Media Consult“. This may not be its full name and its identity at present is unclear.

Ex-Mossad Chief: “Turkey Drives the Americans Crazy — and Us, Too”A former director of the Mossad, retired General Danny Yatom, reacts to David Ignatius’s column in The Washington Post
(reporting that Turkey gave Iran the names of 10 Mossad-run Iranian
spies) by saying the Turks committed a “despicable” and unprecedented
violation of international intelligence etiquette — and that will leave
Turkish intelligence with no friends at all.Danny Yatom — speaking from Israel, in a telephone conference call
arranged by The Israel Project — said: “Assuming what’s in the Ignatius
column is accurate, then this was a despicable act by the Turks — by the
head of the MIT, the intelligence organization which is equivalent to
the CIA plus the FBI. The guy who heads MIT, Hakan Fidan, has very
strong power in Turkey. “Assuming the column is true, this is something unheard of. I don’t
remember, during the many, many years I served in the Israeli
intelligence apparatuses and as a close advisor to three prime ministers
and in the Israel Defense Forces… I don’t recall this phenomenon when
information was used by so-called friendly intelligence services [in
this way].“The Turks probably had this information [the name of Iranian
contacts] from the Mossad. Because the modus operandi is — usually in
such cases — when there are meetings between handlers and their agents —
let’s say Israel doing it on Turkish soil — then usually the Israelis
inform the Turkish MIT in order to avoid any misunderstandings. This is
to avoid any Turkish claim that Israel is breaching the laws of Turkey.“If this is true, then the fact that those 10 spies were burned by
purposely informing the Iranians is not only a despicable act — this is
an act that brings the Turkish intelligence organization to a position
where I assume no one will trust it. Not only did they get the
information from Israel … They breached all the rules of cooperation
between intelligence organizations.“If this is true, what was done by the head of the Turkish
intelligence organization — no doubt with the knowledge of his prime
minister [Recep] Erdogan — is something that I don’t recall from the
many years of my experience.“This is highly disturbing. We also receive information from friendly
intelligence organizations. And no one here or in the U.S. or elsewhere
would dare to use this information — received from, let’s say Israel —
in order to harm Israel.“Only one — the head of Turkey’s intelligence and the prime minister
of Turkey. … Knowing the Turks and knowing the reporter, David Ignatius,
I tend to believe him [and not any Turkish denials].“About two years ago, it was published — when Hakan Fidan was
nominated to head the MIT — that Ehud Barak’s view was that Fidan was
very close to the Iranians and had transferred sensitive information to
Iran.“We never ever thought he would do something unprecedented by
exposing Israeli agents to the Iranians — probably knowing them [the
names] because he got the information from Israel.[[[[[[“The relations between the two intelligence organizations [the Mossad
and Turkey's MIT], during my time as director of the Mossad [in 1996 to
1998] were excellent — and were excellent before and after that.]]]]] But
what happened caused us to distrust the Turks, and this is the main
reason why the relations are losing their intimacy and are
deteriorating.”Yatom said the Turks were, in a way, shooting themselves in the foot.
”They badly need cooperation with friendly intelligence apparatuses.
The Turks are highly worried about what’s going on in Syria. They are
against the Iranian military nuclear program. Of course they need to
cooperate with friendly [services] to fight terror in their own country —
Turkey.“Who now will trust them and cooperate with them? Who now will share sensitive information with them?“We will see a deterioration in intelligence relations between
Turkey’s MIT and all the parallel organizations in friendly countries to
Turkey. We will find the Turkish intelligence isolated from receiving
any sensitive information, probably for the foreseeable future.”Yatom also said: “We share a lot of information with the CIA,
[Britain's] MI6, [the German} BND and other friendly intelligence
apparatuses -- and we used to do it, until recently, with the Turks. Our
nations shared the same goals and aims: to fight terror, and to prevent
Iran from becoming a military nuclear state.
"If this is true, then what the intelligence apparatus of Turkey did
was ... to threaten the lives of those Iranians. And I don't what is
their fate. Maybe they were executed or will be executed.
"This is not only transferring the names to a democratic regime, but
it is transferering the names to a regime with no mercy. No doubt in my
mind. If this is true, they either have been executed or they will be
executed."When asked whether the Syrian civil war has brought Turkey
and Israel closer together -- out of shared worries and interests,
considering that Syria is sandwiched between them -- Yatom said:
"Unfortunately it has not happened."Yatom added, "Erdogan is even annoying the United States by
purchasing ground-to-air missiles from a company in China which is
blamed [by the U.S.] for breaking an embargo by assisting Iran with its
missile and nuclear projects. I don’t think this is the first time
Erdogan makes the Americans crazy… And the same with us, so what can we
do?”For mutual benefits, Yatom suggested, efforts to get past the Israeli-Turkish problems are worth pursuing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Erdogan exposed Mossad agents in Iran, Really!Ignatius is trying to make his readers believe that while Barack
Obama is calling Erdogan his best friend, Erdogan is helping USrael’s
number one enemy, Iran. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu just
confirmed my theory.“This is just a smear campaign. This is not true. It is dirty propaganda,” CNN quoted Davutoglu saying on October 17, 2013.David Ignatius has claimed that Turkey’s top spy, Dr. Hakan Fidan,
head of Turkish intelligence MIT played a major part in the exposer of
Mossad espionage network in Iran. On June 7, 2010, Israeli daily Haaretz
reported that the newly appointed head of MIT, Hakan Fidan, has ties
with IHH, the group which organized the Gaza flotilla. Hakan Fidan, as
Turkish envoy at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2009, had defended Iran’s right to carry on its civilian nuclear program.On Thursday, Turkish officials claimed that the Washington Post allegation was part of a broader effort to discredit Turkey’s top spymaster, Hakan Fidan.Under the smokescreen, Turkey-Israel has secret alliance to use every
mean to counter Iran’s growing influence in the region. Only last week,
Erdogan told his top government officials to avoid discussing
Turkey-Israel secret alliance in public.“Mr Erdogan’s Cairo visit took place in the midst of Israel’s
eight-day war on Gaza. Notwithstanding his habitual posturing over
Israel’s war crimes, the focal point of his speech at the Cairo
University was Syria. The fact remains that for the past 20 years,
Turkey, Israel and NATO have maintained a high level of military and
political cooperation against Iraq, Iran, Syria and the resistance
groups in Palestine and Lebanon. Furthermore, since April 2011, Mr
Erdogan’s government has been thoroughly complicit in NATO’s war crimes
in Syria,” said Cem Ertur, in A Zionist in disguise: Prime Minister Erdogan’s phony anti-Israel rhetoric, November 30, 2012.

Colonial marketingInner City Press reports on the latest debates inside the UN’s decolonization committee:“Friday afternoon in the Fourth Committee, after a week of speeches
denouncing the UK for the Malvinas or Falkland Islands, UK Political
Coordinator Michael Tatham spoke. He spoke of his country’s ‘modern
relationship’ with its territories — if you want to stay, you can.Moments later Bolivia’s Permanent Representative Sacha Llorenti said
that the UK’s invocation of self-determination, for which generations
fought, was now being used as ‘colonial marketing.’Llorenti also took on the United States, calling Puerto Rico a colony and long-jailed Oscar Lopez Rivera a political prisoner.…Papua New Guinea chided France for not turning over education in New Caledonia.”

Defense Industry Ties to Media Commentators and Think Tanks That Participated in Syria DebateThe following report documents the industry ties of 22 media
commentators, and seven think tanks that participated in the media
debate around Syria. These individuals and organizations have strong
ties to defense contractors and other defense- and foreign
policy-focused firms with a vested interest in the Syria debate, but
they were presented to their audiences with a veneer of expertise and
independence, as former military officials, retired diplomats, and
independent think tanks.This report details these ties, in addition to documenting the
industry backing of think tanks that played a prominent role in the
Syria debate. It reveals the extent to which the public discourse around
Syria was corrupted by the pervasive influence of the defense industry,
to the point where many of the so-called experts appearing on American
television screens were actually representatives of companies that
profit from heightened US military activity abroad. The threat of war
with Syria may or may not have passed, but the threat that these
conflicts of interest pose to our public discourse – and our democracy –
is still very real.

A booby-trapped car seized Monday by the army in
Dahieh contained around 50 kilograms of explosive material, an army
statement said, as President Michel Suleiman hailed the military
institution for its achievement.The vehicle turned out to contain “around 50 kilos of
explosives: three landmines, six anti-vehicle grenades, a quantity of
TNT, and some 20 kilograms of aluminum powder that is mixed with yellow
sulfur and electric fuses,” according to the statement.“It turned out that the aforementioned car had been sold several times in the past,” the statement added.The Army Command noted that investigations are ongoing
under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities “with the aim
of identifying those involved in this criminal act,” urging citizens in
all Lebanese regions to immediately report any suspicious activity.Meanwhile, President Suleiman hailed the army for seizing the car and lauded its efforts.“Eid (al-Adha) for the officers and soldiers takes its
true meaning from their sacrifices for the sake of the country and civil
peace,” Suleiman said, slamming “the plots against the innocent
citizens that are aimed at undermining the stability that we are all
seeking.”On Monday evening, the army said an explosive-rigged
Grand Cherokee was found in the Beirut southern suburb of al-Maamoura
and that military experts dismantled the bomb after cordoning off the
area.

The General Security arrested a Palestinian national
on charges of belonging to a terrorist network, it announced in a
statement on Monday.It said that W.N. was responsible for forging identification papers, with high level of proficiency, for terrorists.He was also in charge of designing and manufacturing electronic devises used in bomb timers.The suspect was charged with firing rockets and taking
part in activities that violate the state's internal and external
security.The General Security also charged him with sectarian incitement.His case has been referred to State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr.Al-Akhbar newspaper had reported on Saturday that the
General Security had arrested a man who forges IDs and is close to an
al-Qaida terrorist who resides in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain
el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon.The daily identified the suspect with his initials as
W.N., saying the agency arrested him last week after monitoring his
activities for weeks.They confiscated a forged ID with him, it said. The
newspaper described him as the most professional identity theft suspect
in Lebanon.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Israeli Drones Fallin’ from the Skies Like Flies: Third UAV Sabotaged by HackingIsraeli media have announced that the IAF has “lost” (Hebrew and English)
yet another of its advanced drones, the Hermes-450, one of the most
advanced of its fleet. This marks the third vehicle lost in a similar
manner in the past six months. A fourth drone was “lost” two years ago
and reported
in a post I published here. I note my Israeli source reported
originally that the drone was operated by Hezbollah and deliberately
crashed into the base. It’s also possible that Hezbollah or Iran took
control of an Israeli drone and crashed it into the base; or
that its Israeli controllers crashed it purposely because its navigation
system had been hacked. I’ve previously reported (and here) on the various crashes.
Though Israeli security officials invariably call the cause of the
failure a “technical malfunction,” it is only that in the sense that the
collapse of the World Trade Center was a technical malfunction. In
other words, these crashes were caused by an enemy hacking into the
navigation system and taking control of the drone.
Here is how the air force explains its decision to destroy the vehicles in mid-flight:

IDF officials explained at the time that the decision to
down the UAV was made due to concerns that control over the drone would
be lost, and it might crash into populated areas.

In actuality, they weren’t in control of them and didn’t know what
the Iranians or Lebanese would do with them. They might crash them into
a building or air base inside Israel or they might fly it to Lebanon
where they could study its components further.Israel’s media itself may not believe the lies offered by the IAF. This is the Walla! headline:

Drones Falling, and with Them, IDF’s Credibility

The article also notes that the continued failures of the Hermes 450
have harmed the reputation of the IDF. If I were commander of a drone
fleet I wouldn’t allow them to fly again till I had a totally new
navigational system that couldn’t be penetrated. Though Israel did
ground portions of its fleet after one of the crashes, it apparently
didn’t help. To me, this indicates either IAF hubris or incompetence.
Of course, Iranian cyber-engineers are no slouches as well. An anonymous Israel source sent me this e mail message which was
either written by a terrific bluffer, or by someone who knows what
they’re talking about (my bet is on the latter):

The UAV didn’t crash, the UAV control center lost
communication due to heavy interference in the COM link. After few very
long minutes at which the re establish comm procedure failed, the CCC
(control center commander) ordered the self destruction of the UAV.
There was lots of drama as it appeared the UAV had a mind of its own or
that someone gained positive control.

As I reported in the past, I don’t know for sure whether Iran or
Hezbollah is responsible or some combination, but they are the most
likely suspects. Here is what my source says about the latest attack:

The source of the drone hacks was electronically traced
to Lebanon, so either Hezbollah did it with Iranian technology or IRG
forces there did it themselves.

In addition, Iran announced recently that it had reverse engineered
the same Hermes 450 which was downed yesterday. If it could reverse
engineer it, it can figure out how to hack into the controls as well.
This raises another issue: if it’s true Iran succeeded in copying
Israel’s most advanced drone it did so in one of two ways; either it captured a drone
in the way I suggest above or it gained access to its technical specs
through some sort of espionage. If it captured a drone, that means
there was yet another drone failure in which the Iranians actually
succeeded in capturing the vehicle as it did a U.S. drone a year ago.
Iran has boasted it has reverse engineered this vehicle too.Ironically, the Israeli defense industry publication, IsraelDefense, will host a conference
(Hebrew) on drone technology and cyber-issues related to it in a few
hours. One of the key issues this Hebrew language articles indicates
will be at the center of the event will be the issue of security, both
how Israelis may penetrate the drones of their enemies and protect their
own from such hacking. Given these failures, conference attendees will
have their work cut out for them. The operative phrase here is: what goes around, comes around. Israel
builds these vehicles to spy on its enemies. It uses them to kill its
enemies. I should add here that my Israeli source renews his claim
about the IRG commander Mojtada Ahmadi,
who was murdered a few days ago in Iran. He says the Mossad
assassinated him because, among his offenses, was orchestrating the
campaign to sabotage Israel’s drone fleet. I repeat, I haven’t been
able to confirm this claim independently and nothing coming out of Iran
says anything other than that he was murdered. So proceed with caution.Israel’s enemies, in turn, will eventually return the favor once they
have mastered the technology.It’s only a question of when and how.
This is yet another part of the cyberwar drama being played out now
between Israel and its enemies. First you had Stuxnet and Flame, then
you had Iranian hackers taking down Saudi oil companies and U.S. banks.
Now we have sabotaged drones and possibly assassinated cyberwar
chiefs. This can go a long way and end up in a very ugly place (and
likely will)

[ed notes:im currently unable tp copy and paste,and reason is unknown to myself...not sure whats going on..tried reboooting and its still not working...soon as i figure a remedy,then ill continue updating blog..sorry for inconvinience

LEBANON WATCH- SYRIAN COLONEL DEFECTOR WANTED IN LEBANON FOR FORMING TERRORIST GANG...Warrant Out for Dissident Syrian Colonel over Terror Plots The military examining magistrate issued on Thursday an arrest warrant against a dissident Syrian colonel for forming an armed gang to carry out terrorist activities. The warrant was issued after Judge Fadi Sawan interrogated the suspect identified as Ahmed Amer, a Syrian Army colonel who has defected.He referred him to the military prosecution to take the appropriate action. On Wednesday, the State Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Saqr Saqr, charged 12 people, including a Lebanese and 2 Syrians who are in custody, with plotting terrorist activities and planning assassinations. The three suspects were arrested by the General Security Department. But LBCI TV said Amer is not linked with the 12-member network. He was seeking to recruit fighters to send them to Syria, it said.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twelve suspects charged with planning terrorist
activities in Lebanon, including assassinations, have been in contact
with members of Fatah al-Islam terror group in Roumieh prison,
al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.The newspaper said that analysis of the so-called
telecommunications data revealed that the members of the network had
contacted several Fatah al-Islam inmates in the prison.The examination of the calls is ongoing to know the connection between the two sides, it said.The State Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Saqr
Saqr charged on Wednesday the 12 suspects, including a Lebanese and 2
Syrians who are in custody, with plotting terrorist activities and
forming an armed gang to carry out terrorist operations.The charges include buying arms, rockets and bombs to
plant them throughout Lebanese territories, and plotting assassinations
against personalities in northern Lebanon who back the Syrian regime.

The suspects were also planning to booby-trap vehicles.Security and judicial sources told al-Joumhouria that
two personalities from the Syrian opposition were on the assassination
list of the 12-member network, in addition to several Sunni clergymen in
the northern city of Tripoli who are supporters of the regime in Syria.The daily identified the clergymen as Bilal Shaaban and
his brother, in addition to another Sunni man – Kamal Kheir, who heads a
political association and a charity in northern Lebanon.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The General Directorate of General Security on
Tuesday announced dismantling a “terrorist cell” that was plotting
assassinations and bombings in several Lebanese regions.

“Three people of Lebanese and Syrian nationalities have
been arrested on charges of belonging to a terrorist cell that was
plotting acts of sabotage across Lebanon through bomb attacks and
assassination operations,” a General Security statement said.“The detainees were interrogated and referred to the
military judiciary together with the seized material, which include
explosives, communication devices and silenced weapons,” it added.The directorate stressed that it “will not hesitate to
pursue terrorist groups, subversive gangs and illegal emigration
networks -- in coordination with the rest of the security agencies – in
order to preserve the safety of citizens and the security and stability
of the country.”NNA later said two of those arrested were Syrians and a third was Lebanese.The announcement comes after a wave of arrests by the
various security services in the wake of four deadly bombings that
rocked Lebanon – two in Beirut's southern suburbs and two in Tripoli.

THE U.S.'s TURKISH MODEL FOR MIDDLE EAST...Turkish human rights activists called
on the government to improve conditions for sick inmates and address
human rights violations. According to a report by the Human Rights
Association (IHD), there were “526 sick political prisoners in Turkish
prisons,” and, “154 of them in need of extremely urgent treatment,” as
of September 10. Raci Bilici, head of the Diyarbakir
branch of the IHD said, “The history of prisons in Turkey is filled with
deaths, torture and violations of rights. The Turkish state has had the
same mentality against political prisoners for years.”Bilic also commented on the recent democratization package proposed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He said, “No package that has been issued so far has offered a solution
for the violations of human rights in prisons. Necessary regulations
should be made so that sick inmates could be released.” Bilici is one of
many to comment on the reform package. In the International Herald Tribune, Andrew Finkel argues
the reforms “lack the quality of real democracy,” but are rather “a
slight of hand” because “giving Kurds or Alevis more rights risked
alienating his core supporters among Sunni and Turkish nationalists.” In
an op-ed in the New York Post, Amir Tehari asserts
Erdogan’s package “seems bent on abolishing that republic in all but
name” by re-energizing his Islamist base and giving few concessions to
Alevites and Armenians. In contrast, Semih Idiz argues in Al-Monitor
that one “glaring aspect of the package that is beyond despite” is that
“whatever it may do – or not do – for minorities, it lifts major
restrictions on devout Sunnis imposed by previous secular governments.
The Islamist section of society, which largely supports Erdogan, is
therefore happy– a fact that is reflected in the warm reception the
package got from pro-government media.”Meanwhile, Turkish authorities arrested
a group of students that visited Iran for 20 days on an exchange
program on allegations of espionage against the Turkish state. Turkey
also began constructing
a wall on its border with Syria in order to “stop people from illegally
bypassing its checkpoints and prevent smuggling,” according to Reuters.

about me

i seek no recognition for any info on this blog.all information is purely for informational purposes.its a blog created with the sole intention of relating already well documented facts(and not well known facts)that are for everyone to share.Its in dedication to all the truthers ...